Goodbye Twitter – Welcome to BlueSky!

Twelve and a half years ago….. that’s when I first joined the Twitter community. The platform, at the time, was exactly that: a community. For me, this social media platform was my connection to other educators and ed tech organizations. As a new teacher, and one in a rural area, my PLC was almost entirely online, and the information that was available on this platform was invaluable to me. As I sit and reflect back on my early-days of Twitter I am overwhelmed, which seems silly to type out. However, over a decade a later, I can honestly say that some of my dearest friends, most valuable connections, and career opportunities, have directly stemmed from that platform. Some of my “Tweeps” continue to only exist in the online space and we’ve grown our connections across various platforms. But many people I’ve had an opportunity to meet “IRL”, spent time with, and even become like family.

In addition to the human connections, the information shared by my PLC helped me to grow and develop as an educator and I can’t express my gratitude enough for those that share openly; it helps all of us to be better! To fully appreciate the impact this community had on my development as a educator you can simply search this blog as I shared past reflections, community growth, chats, and large-scale events like #TweetTheHalls.

However, all good things must come to an end. The transition from Twitter to “X” led to a steady decline of the communities I was a part of. While I can’t speak for other people, it is no secret that Elon is a controversial figure. His affiliation and changes to the platform resulted in many of my community members leaving the platform and engagement declined from there. Many of the previous “Twitter” chats that I participated in, or crept afterward, shrank or closed and it was harder to find meaningful dialogue and genuine conversation on the platform. For me, I maintained the platform mostly for nostalgic purposes and as an effort to stay up-to-date in the space in case staff needed assistance in their own use of the platform. However, as the nature of the political landscape in the United States has shifted I no longer want to be present in this space. I like to focus on things that are within my control and, when it comes to this type of situation, not participating in an online platform associated with particular individuals or ideals is something I can change.

With that being said, I have decided to archive my accounts on Twitter/X and move that component of my online presence over to BlueSky! BlueSky was originally started as a research project in 2019 by Jack Dorsey who was responsible for the original Twitter. As the acquisition by Elon moved through, BlueSky went through various phases, eventually becoming open to the public earlier this year. While I have only been on the platform ONE DAY, the experience is so exciting. The layout, functions, and engagement of the platform is reminiscent of the original Twitter experience. Of course, I am still learning the ropes and it is like a scavenger hunt to find my online connections and rebuild my PLC, but I am so excited to see how this platform progresses.

For those that want to learn more, I found this Beginner’s Guide:

I have made two accounts on the platform that mirror what I had transitioned over from Twitter. My handle of MissLwbt (from my VERY first blogging days) was maintained and will be used as my “personal” account which is all things education and learning. I also created a ThompsonClassroom handle that will be my dedicated “work” account that mirrors the content shared on my Instagram and Facebook platforms. I hope to find you over there!